How can I increase my vlogs' audience retention?

[marshall_the_fifty]

I make vlogs and mix the style of normal vlogs and cinematic b-roll. Sort of like peter mckinnon but not copying him. Anyway, I have a channel average of 1 minute retention and I feel that is sub-par. How can I increase it. I have watched plenty of audience retention videos but they all talk about it in the situation of how to videos.

 

[Iain]

You need to look at the make-up of your videos.

If they're all around 1 minute, what is happening at that point, and before it?

Have you got an intro? How long is the intro? Are you doing a teaser opening? Do you get to the content within the first minute? Does your content match the teaser? Or is it click-baity?

You could probably do with having a channel review by someone that is in the same genre as you, but several steps ahead. Unless you're willing to pay, you won't be able to get one done by a massive name, but you don't need that - you just need someone that has trodden the same path before you and overcome the hurdle you're stuck at...

 

[marshall_the_fifty]

Thanks. I do have an intro, and it is 4 seconds long. I almost always incorporate a teaser opening unless I have a reason not to. I typically don't get to the main part of the vlog in the first minute but I address it and film the vlog in a story matter. My content matches my teaser although that isn't the entire video (like I said, story format)

Here is a layout of a vlog I recently filmed about going to the beach:

-teaser
-intro
-opening the vlog and saying that we are going to have lunch then go to the beach
-about 10 seconds of talking at lunch
-b-roll sequence at lunch (20 seconds)
-driving b-roll (4 seconds) (to transition without a jump cut)
-at the beach talking (15 seconds)
-main/long b-roll sequence of beach (drone, glidecam, etc)
-talking at beach saying were we need to go (10 sec)
-ending of vlog in car on our way to were we need to go (I addressed that it was just boring errands and that this was the end of our day)
-outro

 

[Iain]

I think you're overcomplicating things?

I mean, if you're a "big name" and people know who you are and what you're about, then your format works brilliantly, people already know and trust you.

However, if you're not, then you need to be offering viewers something of real value - and you have to get to the point really early on.

Look for some vloggers that aren't huge, but are starting to get bigger. Look at their early YouTube videos, see what they do, before they start turning to the vlogging style more and more. With most of them you find that they're actually doing something other than vlogging to begin with - they're normally offering content of value to a specific audience. They get to the point of that content really quickly.

Once they've started to build a name for themselves, and start to get an audience, that's when they seem to start to add vlogs into the mix, and more and more.

I'm not saying you can't vlog from the outset... But people are fickle, and attention spans are short. You need to build an audience, and if you can talk to a specific niche and give them value very quickly, then that will help them turn to subscribers, but also consider you as someone that makes videos that are worth watching. Then you can start transitioning to a more complex video - and your audience that trusts you will know you give them value so will want to hang around... And people joining your audience will see a high subscriber count and think "if others have subscribed in these numbers, this person must be worth waiting around for".

Just my tuppence's worth as a viewer... I could be completely wrong, and I'm sure others with more experience than me will be along shortly with even better advice!

 

[marshall_the_fifty]

Thank you for all that advice. Really helpful